BACK DOOR HINGE PROBLEM - VANPIRE

[VANPIRE]

Hey Gang,  Let me try to explain my problem...I think Craig already knows roughly.
The VANPIRE has got a bad rear hinge problem. Before I rebuilt the van someone has tried to get the rear barn doors off but has gone for the easy option of cutting through the arm of the hinge...taking the doors off or replacing ...then welding the cut arms of the hinges back together. Very Bad. When I did all body mods ,rust and paint etc years back I didnt see a big problem in the hinges apart from one door sits a little higher than the other. Now over the years of opening the doors, cracks in the welds of the hinges have appeared. It has got to the stage were if I open the back doors one more time they will FALL OFF !. Hence one of the reasons why you havnt seen VANPIRE on the road for a while. Obviously the fool that cut the hinges has had problems getting the hinges off. Does anyone have any suggsestions how I can weld cast or replace hinges without buying a fibreglass rear from Ben (very tempting) and trying to colour match metalflake aarrrrhgghh. I dont want to hurt her too much but probably dont have too many options. Thanks in advance. Cale

[ShaneJ]

You cant really weld cast without weakening it as you have found out. Why not just replace the hinges?

[VANPIRE]

Hey Shane, I think the screw heads may be a bit burred out. Is an impact driver the best bet ?
 

[hotrod]

impact driver is the go, if that fails u may have to revert to carefully drilling out the screws!

[obsession]

cale I have hinges here for you m8 - impact driver is the best method

[doofhard]

Impact driver is really the go but make sure it's spinning the right way when bashed!!!  You kill the head on the screw and your more than screwed!!!

[obsession]

get 4 hinges chrome them and you wont have to worry about the paint
use impact driver

if the screw is rounded out- Carefully using patients ,and a small drill bit drill out the center of the screw, working up in drill bit sizes or opt for an easy out

I hear johno  likes a challenge and craig will do almost anything for coffee if you need a hand 

[Marishka]

i had the same problem about 2 years ago on a van.
screw heads were badly damaged.
 
i ended up getting a wire brush and cleaning the threads that stick out the backs of the body nuts , accessible above and below the rear tail lights where u put the globes in.
 
then get a big sacrificial Phillips head screwdriver and hold it in the screw head while u tack it there with a mig welder.
try not to weld onto the hinge housing.

the weld heat helps in loosening the threads.

let it cool then put a bit of transmission fluid on the protruding threads.
then get a pair of locking pliers and clamp on the shaft of screwdriver and undo and thightn it like ur tapping a thread.
undoing it a bit more each time till out
 
as soon as u get 1 out grind the tack off and do the process again on others.

dont forget the nut on the location threaded pin in the center of each  hinge body clean those threads and put a few drops of transmission oil on em 2. then undo.

lots of people just try unscrewing the Phillips screws without cleaning the threads inside and oiling  /thus damage the Phillips x hole in the head and jam the bolt tight from the rust jamming the thread.

this technique has never let me down yet
 marty

[ben]

personally i think you should buy a fibreglass rear door from ben lol.. and well throw it in the back of kim's new truck being freighted over on friday next week:)

[obsession]

along with flares front spoilers overhead consul .................

ps ben do you want a mold of a wb statesman graft to a beddy